It would be quite troublesome if you exceed the luggage weight restriction on airport. Even if you are using train or bus services that have more relaxed rules on luggage, it would be still troublesome for you to have excessively heavy luggage. That’s because you often need to handle the luggage on your own. In airports, often there’s no turning back if you have excess luggage weight and you will need to pay all the fees. In this case, you should try to pack light and avoid bringing too much stuff. Here are things you should do:

Choose a lighter suitcase: If you bring mostly clothing and toiletries, it’s not really necessary to use a heavy, hard-shelled suitcase. A heavy luggage alone could weigh 5 kilograms or more. Lightweight luggage made from thicker nylon material should be durable enough. It can’t be punctured and won’t tear easily. When choosing a luggage at stores, lift it above your head with one hand. You shouldn’t have difficulty doing that.

Organize your clothes properly: Clothes often comprise the bulk of any luggage. Although a shirt or a pants may feel light, but they could be quite heavy if you bring more than a dozen of them. To counter this problem, you should choose thin and light clothes, especially if you plan to go to warm areas. If you plan to go for a winter trip, you should just bring only one or two heavy duty coat or jacket. To keep yourself warm, you should bring thin, nylon shirts that can insulate your body heat better than cotton. You may wear layers of thin, nylon clothing depending on the outside temperatures.

Wear heavier clothing on the flight or trip: If you want to reduce luggage weight, it’s a good idea to wear your heavier clothing during airplane trip. Sometimes, it can get quite cold inside the airplane cabin, especially when you sleep at night. By wearing warmer clothing, you can sleep better.

Bring heavier things into the cabin: Books, laptop, DSLR cameras and charging units can be quite heavy. Put them all in a bag that’s easy to carry and put into the overhead storage bin. These things could contribute a lot to the overall weight of your luggage. A medium-sized backpack is a good solution for casual travellers, because it’s flexible, you can cram plenty of items inside and it won’t change shape or size.

Choose travel-sized items: Some items like toiletries could last for a week or more. Choose travel-sized soap, toothpaste, lotion, shampoo and other toiletries. A big bottle of toiletries isn’t only heavy, but it could cause problem in security checks. Depending on the airlines and local air travel regulations, there could be a limit on the amount of liquid that you can bring aboard.

Buy things at the destination area: You may buy cheap clothing and toiletries in the destination areas. If you are going to developing countries, items in grocery stores can be more affordable and you can actually save money.